NORFOLK, VA. – A recent finding from the American Diabetes Association found that 14 percent of patients who recovered from COVID-19 were later diagnosed with diabetes.
The discovery is new, but the results show that COVID-19 can increase the likelihood of a diagnosis of diabetes.
“Fourteen percent, this is actually based on an international study,” said Dr. Elias Siraj, the director of the Strelitz Center at Eastern Virginia Medical School. “The data included patients from China, Italy, and the United States.”
Dr. Siraj said at the start of the pandemic it was found that the risk of severe Covid is higher in people with diabetes than in people without. He also said that the chance of death is greater too.
As for the new finding, “This is a new area that is being investigated,” said Siraj.
On the spot, Siraj added that he and his colleagues have seen new diagnoses of diabetes in people who have recovered from Covid
“Many other patients say,” I’ve never had diabetes, where did it come from, “said Siraj.” At first we told them we were just as confused as they were. “
But Siraj explained a few reasons why:
“There is evidence that the virus directly affects the cells that produce insulin in our pancreas,” Siraj said. “Since COVID is an acute serious illness like any other serious illness, it leads to a lot of stress hormones and that leads to diabetes.”
He also said that patients may already have had diabetes but weren’t diagnosed until they were examined in the hospital.
Another cause is doctors using steroids as COVID-19 treatments, which Siraj says can have negative effects.
“At the same time, they make our bodies resistant to the effects of our own insulin,” explained Siraj. “We all have insulin, it controls our sugar. If it doesn’t work, our bodies become resistant and we get diabetes. “
But there is good news:
“For some of them, their diabetes actually improves by the time they are discharged from the hospital,” said Siraj, “which means that it is more or less an acute, temporary, temporary problem.”
